Where you stand…matters.
My friend Dick Foth told a story about trying to change a light bulb in a fixture in his bedroom located directly above the bed. (How many preachers does it take to change a light bulb?)
Standing on the cushy mattress, wobbling back and forth, struggling to keep his balance while stretching to reach a high ceiling, he thought about Jesus’ admonition concerning Wise and Foolish Builders. Changing the bulb would have been much easier standing on a solid foundation.
Where you stand…matters.
We have a favorite quote at the FREEDOM TOUR:
There’s no limit to what can be accomplished by a group of committed, passionate people when they work together and trust God for the outcome.
Taking that apart, it means we focus on the process, not the results.
However, it goes back one more step, because we need folks who will invest in the process and let go of their own needs in a spirit of shared sacrifice. We need people willing to be part of a story bigger than themselves.
That demands character. Integrity, service, commitment, loyalty, community, courage…these characteristics inspire people to invest in a long-term process instead of short-term results.
# # #
There’s a final question: commitment to what? Loyalty to whom? Integrity based on what?
Jesus says character based on a nice set of human principles is like houses built by foolish builders. It might look and sound great, but when the storm comes those houses collapse because they lack the solid foundation of His words.
No matter what we do, no matter how well-intentioned or successful or helpful we might be, we have to stand on the foundation of Jesus.
In the end, anywhere else is shifting sand.